Am I right in thinking 26 degrees C is too hot to walk a dog?

[MeadowHay]

I'm going to meet a local dog today through Borrow My Doggy, I've arranged to go over at 5pm and the idea was that I would meet them and take them for a very short walk to start with so they can get used to me. However where I am it's due to be 26 DC today at 5pm!! Is that not too hot to take a dog out? I don't want them to get sore feet.

Dogs cope in Spain, Italy and Austrailia where it is well above 26 C for most of the Summer... I'm sure it will be fine. :)

Thats not very hot at all. Dogs still need walking in the summer.

I'd take mine, but maybe keep it on the short side. If there's a stream to play in, all the better.

I don't know much about dogs I have to admit but I live in Texas and you'd have to get up very early in the morning to walk your dog at cooler than 26 degrees.

It was 28 degrees when I went for a run at 5:30am.

err - it's that at 7 in the morning where I am.. and yes, people avoid walking their dogs in the middle of the day for everyone's comfort, but they've got to go out sometime!

26 Deg is fine - if the pavement is shady or has lots of grassy verge.

However, if it is in full sun and has been for a while, put the palm of your hand flat on the ground and see if it is a temperature you would be happy walking barefoot on.

On hot days we take our boy out before 10am or after 7pm.

Walk him on grass if possible. Much cooler on his feet.

Thanks everyone. Where I live it does not often get this warm and I've never owned a dog before. I know they can hurt their feet when it is too hot and I didn't know how hot is too hot, so I just wanted to check to be on the safe side. It will only be a short walk as it will be our first time together so by the sounds of things it will be fine.

I wouldn't be taking my big breed out. We go out early or late. We also avoid pavements. We go to shaded spaces. This is useful.

Hmm, not sure if there is grass very nearby but will have a look on maps. Will stick to the shade if I have to walk him on pavements. He is a lab, I didn't know that breed made a difference. Thanks for that infographic thing, have saved it for future reference too. If I only take him out for say half an hour, do I need to take water or will he be ok? (I feel like an over bearing mother but as I say never owned a dog and want him to be comfy!)

Not too hot! I took mine for an almost 2 hour walk in that temp yesterday, through a mix of woodland, paved areas and fields. She was fine and had a great time in the water too, well she laid in it!

It was most definitely too hot for me to be walking in that though, I felt awful on return and wanted to sleep. The dog, on the other hand, decided we had to play fetch as soon as we got in

My boy is a large golden retriever and hates the hate so I wouldn't take him out in that temp but other dogs seem to have no issue with it.

The rule of thumb is that if you can touch the pavement with your hand and it isn't burning then their paws will be fine. Try and keep to shade though and if walking for any length of time I would take a water bottle. At the end of the day if the owner wasn't happy then they would let you take the dog out in the weather.

And enjoy, we've been using Borrow My Doggy to walk a lovely dog for almost a year now, it's a great idea!

OP you are right to be concerned - too many people roll out the 'other countries cope' argument without realising that people own pets differently in other countries i.e. walk them early or late to avoid temps.

Best way to check is to lay your palm on the pavement, if that feels uncomfortably warm for your skin, then it will be too warm for their paws. If it feels hot to touch, then it will likely burn their paws

Thanks all. I will definitely raise it with the owner and ask about water etc to check with them too. I am really looking forward to it as I love dogs and hoping to get our own in a few months time. Have already got experience walking & pet-sitting for a few different breeds but the more experience the better I think as it's such a huge commitment. No doubt I will be a sweaty mess after the walk though, just went up the road to the shops and I came back like a puddle! I will probably cope worse in the heat than the dog !

I would look at the breed and age of the dog. If it's a brachycephalic dog then it's an absolute NO - these are the dogs with short snouts like French Bulldogs, Bulldogs, pugs etc. - they really struggle in hot weather. Similarly a dog that's elderly or obese will find it harder work. It's so much nicer for both of you in this weather if you move the walk to either the early morning or later in the evening.

It probably depends on the dog and what it's used to. My dog isn't happy to do our normal on lead street walks in the afternoon on hot days. We are just taking him morning and evening when its cooler. On the couple of occasions I tried to take him out late afternoon he lay down and refused to get up until I brought him home! There were other dogs walking quite happily though!

It depends on the dog, and what it's used to.

I can't imagine what the temperature was but the dogs there regularly work in 35-40C heat. It would finish off my dogs, who are pretty hardy and used to being out whatever the (English) weather.

I wouldnt walk my dogs in 26 degree heat but mine are old and dont like the heat. In their younger days i would go out at 10am for an hr or so as long as we found water on the way round.

I live in Malta. It is a lot hotter than that all summer, so they have to go out. Mine always wear a cool coat and always take water with you on the walks. Keep them short and don't encourage crazy amounts of running around. Mine love playing fetch but it is restricted to just a few throws in the summer, with snuffling around the order of the day, instead.